Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday directed for a fresh investigation into the rape case filed against Deputy Leader of Opposition and Congress MLA from Ater constituency in Bhind Hemant Katare.
The apex court also clarified that a DIG-rank officer of the Bhopal range would supervise the investigation.
Katare will not be arrested for the time being, provided he fully cooperates with the investigation, according to the court order.
The Supreme Court issued the order while hearing a petition filed by the Madhya Pradesh government challenging the high court’s December 2, 2024 directive. That earlier ruling had granted interim protection from arrest to Katare, provided he cooperated with the investigation.
Senior advocate Gagan Gupta appeared in court on behalf of Hemant Katare. After hearing both sides, the court said that considering the seriousness of the allegations, the reinvestigation must be carried out under the supervision of a senior police officer of DIG rank from the Bhopal range to ensure impartiality.
The court reiterated that there should be no arrest of Hemant Katare until the next hearing if he continued to cooperate with the investigation.
The court has directed all parties to file their counter- affidavits within four weeks. The date of the next hearing will be fixed thereafter.
